Anthony Joshua reveals Mike Tyson made him believe he could change his life and become a boxing success as he explains why he looked up to Iron Mike as an inspiration when he was a youngster

Anthony Joshua has named Mike Tyson as his main sporting inspiration from his youth.

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion looked up to the ex-undisputed king, who remains one of the world's most famous men to this day.

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When asked to name his sporting inspiration, AJ told the podcast: "A boxing inspiration - you only have to look at them for what they do in the ring.

"We tend to look at a lot of people for what they do outside of their profession.

"I don't support a lot of people for what they do in their private life.

"I like Mike Tyson because he embodied this discipline.

"He got in a lot of trouble growing up - poverty stricken area, mum was into all sorts.

"He raised himself to a degree, was in juvenile detention centres at the age of 13.

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"His criminal record was 50 pages long, so if we were looking at someone with that type of information, we'd probably say, 'This person's gonna fail at life, they haven't got much going for them.'

"But he changed that.

"So for me, it showed me that no matter where you begin, as long as you can apply yourself then you never know what the future holds.

"And he just applied himself to boxing - whether it's education, sport, whatever it is - but boxing was his chosen field and he educated himself.

"He became a boxing encyclopaedia, he studied the game and he became one of the greatest heavyweight champions, also the youngest heavyweight champion, that there's ever been.

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"I realised that if he can do it - I'm not gonna say I can be as good as him - but if the blueprint's there, wake up early, sleep early, put the work in, believe in yourself, be a savage, then you've got a chance of making it.

"And with boxing, in three years I walked in the gym and then three years later I became Olympic champion by just embodying that mentality.

"I just took what I learned from him and that's why for me he's one of my favourites and an inspiration."